John Bernardo U.S. History Timeline

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Reconstruction

Reconstruction began after the Civil War and ended with the Compromise of 1877.

Civil War ends

April 9, 1865

General Robert E.Lee surrenders to the Union on April 9, 1865. The president was Abraham Lincoln.

13th Amendment is ratified

December, 1865

Congress ratifies the 13th amendment in December which makes slavery illegal in the U.S. The President was Andrew Johnson.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

1866

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 guaranteed federal civil rights for freed slaves. The president was Andrew Johnson.

Seward's Folly

1867

Secretary of State Seward purchases Alaska from Russia for $7.2 mllion causing people to wonder why he would want to buy a land of frozen tundra. He purchased it because of its resources, particularly oil.

14th Amendment

July 9, 1868

The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to African Americans and prevented states from taking away a person's citizenship. The president was Andrew Johnson.

15th Amednment

1870

The 15th Amendment was ratified which gave African American men the right to vote. The president was Ulysses S. Grant.

Enforcement Acts

1871

The Enforcement Acts were passed to combat the Klu Klux Klan and made it a federal offence to interfere with a citizen's right to vote. Ulysses S. Grant was president.

Alexander Bell patents telephone

1876

The first telephone is patented in 1876. Ulysses S. Grant is president.

Second Industrial revolution

1876 - 1890

The second Industrial revolution brought the U.S. much more technology including the telephone, lightbulb, more railroads, the steamboiler furnace, and the rise of big business.

Compromise of 1877

1877

The Compromise of 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president and in return, the Union troops withdrew from the south and Reconstruction ended.

Thomas Edison's Lightbulb is patented

1880

Thomas Edison patents the lightbulb. The president was Rutherford Hayes.

Homestead Strike

July, 1892

At one of Andrew Carnegie's steel factories, the workers began striking due to unsafe working conditions and little pay. Police intervened and opened fire on the unarmed workers killing several and wounding many others. Grover Cleveland was president at the time.

Annexation of Hawaii

1898

The U.S. annexed Hawaii making it a U.S.territory after having had farmers there for many years.

Spanish-American War

1898

After the Destruction of the U.S.S. Maine in March of 1898, the U.S. soon after declares war on Spain. They defeat the Spanish and they buy from them and Annex both Puerto Rico and the Philippines. They also receive Cuba but do not Annex it due to the Teller Amendment.

Assassination of William McKinely

September, 1901

President William McKinley was shot in Buffalo, New York by an unemployed anarchist who blamed McKinely for his unemployment. He died eight days later from his gunshot wounds. His assassin, Leon Czolgosz, is sentenced to death for the murder.

Roosevelt's Square Deal

1902

Roosevelt's Square Deal was to combat big businesses and prevent them from creating monopolies and from buying out poorer companies. He wanted to prevent the wealthy from taking advantage of the poor.

Thodore Roosevelt's Big Stick Diplomacy

1902

Theodore Roosevelt created the "Big Stick Diplomacy" to build the military and he depended on a strong military to reach America's goals.

Ford Model T

1908

Henry Ford patents the Ford Model T, and upgraded version of his Model A. It becomes the most popular and affordable car in America costing $850 and then dropping to $290 by 1927.

William Howard Taft's Dollar Diplomacy

1908

President William Howard Taft wanted to increase American investments in businesses and banks throughout Central America and the Caribbean and called it "Dollar Diplomacy."

16th Amendment

1913

The 16th Amendment gave Congress the right to impose an income tax on the citizens of the U.S. to help with the economy.

Woodrow Wilson's Moral Diplomacy

1913

Woodrow Wilson's "Moral Diplomacy" focused on foreign policy and that the U.S. would work on promoting human rights national integrity, and opportunity.

Panama Canal

1914

The U.S. built a canal in Panama to help lessen the amount of time by ship it would take to get from the East Coast to the west Coast.

World War I

1914 - 1918

World War I Begins

1914

The Duke of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand is assassinated by a Serbian anarchist which causes Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia on July 28 and begins World War I.

U.S. enters World War I

1917

After intercepting the Zimmerman note that Germany had attempted to send to Mexico, the U.S. sees this as a threat and declares war on Germany, thus breaking the neutrality agreement and begins U.S. involvement in the war.

Treaty of Versailles

1919

The Treaty of Versailles put the blame on Germany and made them responsible for World War I. Germany was forced to receive harsh punishments and paid the war debts which caused their economy to fail. The U.S. was the only allied country to not sign the treaty.

Great Depression

1929 - 1941

Black Tuesday

October 1929

The stock market crashes on October 29 which causes the beginning of the Great Depression.

Fireside Chats

1933

Roosevelt's speeches of the New Deal were broadcast over several radio stations.

New Deal

1933

Upon his first 100 days in office, Roosevelt signed the New Deal which would help America during the Great Depression with relief, recovery, and reform.

Dust Bowl

1934 - 1935

From 1934-1935, dust erosion was picked up by fierce wind storms creating severe dust storms dubbed "The Dust Bowl" that left people homeless and several families fleeing the west.

Second New Deal

1935

Roosevelt passed his Second New Deal to further improve the economy, this created Social Security for retirees and the Works Progress Administration.

Court Packing

1937

Roosevelt attempted to pack the Supreme Court by attempting to add 6 more judges for a total of 15 but his attempt was denied.

Munich Pact

1938

Hitler and the Prime Minister of England Chamberlain signed this as an agreement that Germany would not capture anymore land but Hitler soon breaks the pact and takes more land including Poland which starts World War II.

World War II

September 1939 - August 1945

Holocaust

1941 - 1945

From 1941 to 1945, the Germans sent 6.5 million Jews to their deaths by setting up death camps all over Europe and transporting Jews there.

Japanese Internment Camps

1941

The U.S. put Japanese-Americans in isolated camps in the desert due to belief that Japanese-Americans wee spies aiding Japan and plotting against the U.S.

Lend-Lease Act

1941

President Roosevelt signs this to aid Britain and France financially during World War II shortly before the U.S. enters the War.

Pearl Harbor

December 1941

On December 7, 1941, The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval base in Hawaii. This prompts the U.S. to declare war on Japan the next day and become fully involved in the war.

Battle of Midway

1942

The most important naval battle between the U.S. and Japan in the Pacific which was won by the U.S.

Btaan Death March

1942

The Japanese army marched 60,000 POW's. Aprrox. 10,650 POW's died including 650 American POW's.

D-Day

June 1944

On June, 6, the allied troops stormed the Normandy beach heads suffering heavy casualties but winning the battle by defeating the Nazi army and turning he tide of the war.

Atom Bomb

1945

Dropped on Horishima and Nagisaki in August, 1945, killing over 200,000 Japanese civillians and offically ended the World War II.

Battle of the Bulge

1945

An offensive attack by the Nazis on the allied Western Front. It was referred to as "Operation Watch on the Rhine." They lost the battle to the allies however which eventually lead to their surrender.

United Nations

1945

Formed by President Harry S. Truman, the UN was a peace organization that helped countries peacefully work together and to try to prevent another World War.

V-E day

May 1945

On May 8, 1945 the Nazis surrendered ending the war in Europe but not against Japan in the Pacific.